3 Signs It's Time To Upgrade Your Electrical Panel

Your electrical system is easily one of the most important components throughout your entire home, and among all of the various components that come together to make up your electrical system, your electrical panel is, without a doubt, the most crucial element. Because your electrical panel is such a critical component in your home's electrical system, it can be particularly troublesome when something starts to go wrong with your existing panel, or the electrical needs of your home move beyond what your current panel is capable of handling, both of which can be much more common issues than you might think. Identifying when your electrical panel is in need of an upgrade is important as it not only plays a role in the overall function of your home, but also the safety, as faulty and outdated electrical panels are a very common cause of electrical fires in homes all over the country. To help you identify some of the signs that your home's current electrical panel is due for an upgrade, our team of skilled Des Moines electricians have taken the time to put together this short list highlighting just a few of the common signs you can be on the lookout for that indicate it's time for a new electrical panel.

Your Breakers Are Frequently Tripping

The circuit breakers of your electrical panel are designed to trip when they become overloaded in order to stop the flow of electricity in order to prevent overheating and other forms of damage to your panel, your wiring, and your home. This tripping is usually caused because the energy being used in your home is exceeding that capacity of what your electrical panel is able to safely distribute around your home, and the breaker trips to protect itself. While this is designed to function in this way, if you notice that your breakers seem like they are constantly tripping, it could be an indicator that it's time to upgrade your panel to something newer that is better able to keep up with your energy demands.

Breakers Won't Remain Reset

Typically, when your circuit breaker trips, all you have to do is flip the breaker back on and the flow of power will be restored. If you notice that any of your breakers won't stay open once you have reset them, however, it could be a sign that there is a bigger issue you need to deal with. Breakers that won't reset or won't stay reset after you have done so are usually an indicator of a problem with your panel as a whole. If that's the case, the best thing you can do is invest in a panel upgrade that will enhance the capacity of your energy system.

Your System Uses Fuses Instead Of Breakers

If your home is a bit older, there is a chance that your electrical panel uses a fuse system instead of the more modern circuit breaker system. While fuses aren't inherently dangerous, they are a much more outdated, and therefore risk, safety system. Most panels that still uses fuses were designed when the electrical needs of most homes were much less than they were today, which makes them more unreliable and more of a hazard than they were in the past. If your home's electrical panel still uses fuses, the best thing to do is to call in a professional electrician and have them provide you with a panel upgrade to a more modern system with circuit breakers as soon as possible.